This stove has one of the larger burn boxes thats produced.
The difference is top loaders like i had previously can be loaded higher because of their setup.
So as far as a simple box stove is concernedI have no complaints
Summers Heat 50-SHSSW02
- Thread starter rntdc
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The difference is top loaders like i had previously can be loaded higher because of their setup.
So as far as a simple box stove is concernedI have no complaints
There is allot more to it than just the name. Yes i agree some are over priced. But some of the stuff sold at box stores is junk as well. Englander generally makes a very good product at their price point. But they make clear compromises to reach that price point. When you work on many different stoves all the time those differences are very clear.
Technology stoves...yes. Ill agree with you.
Steel box epa with firebrick and burn tubes...gotta call you out.
Its no different than the bicycle industry. Same frames. Same factory. Same components. Different names.
The cheaper stuff does use thinner plate they have less reinforcement their baffles are usually less durable their door latches most times are not adjustable. Their tube retainers are chinsy. And the control simply is not as good.
And no the vast majority of entry level stoves are not made in the same factory as mid level stuff. And they do not share components. Sbi is the only manufacturer that i can think of that makes a wide range of stoves in one factory.
A technology stove would be that which has a catalyst or similar. Or a damper and tertiary burn technology.
Dont get defensive. Theres a reason the majority of the stoves look the same. Would you agree?
And why can you hardly find a single online bit of info from a manufacturer? Let alone nearly every manufacturer.
They say call the dealer. Dealers for the most part don't know squat. They dont produce them. Cant give you specifics.
If i was a manufacturer making a "quality" product to be sold exclusively by local stores...I might be inclined to make my product info readily available to online resources.
Half the manufacturers dont have up to date websites. Nor any real info on their product.
Half the manufacturers dont have up to date websites. Nor any real info on their product.
I am not getting defensive at all. I am just telling you that your claims are wrong. I work on stoves every day every manufacturer does things differently and budget stoves have clearly done things to cut costs when compared to mid level tube stoves like regency quad lopi etc. I have also been to enough factories and talked to enough engineers to know the vast majority of them make their own stoves.
I am nothing but amazed at the quality, heat, and performance of this burner.
There is minimal upkeep, dont have to spend an hour of my life getting it up to temp...we are amazed.
During routine cleaning just a fraction of soot compared to the harman.
Better heat. Nice to watch. I cant believe I ever pissed away as much money as I did on the Harman. This was 1/3 of the cost.
And seems to be better on wood consumption as well.
There is minimal upkeep, dont have to spend an hour of my life getting it up to temp...we are amazed.
During routine cleaning just a fraction of soot compared to the harman.
Better heat. Nice to watch. I cant believe I ever pissed away as much money as I did on the Harman. This was 1/3 of the cost.
And seems to be better on wood consumption as well.
Glad you are happy with the new stove. Harmans can be great heaters if you figure them out but many people never really do.
I seem to have the exact opposite experience as you. The 50 has been nothing but trouble from about the 15 fire until now. Thin steel ,easily warping ,the door while a nice size for the fire view has also warped and 2 weeks ago the glass fell out while loading the stove. Good thing i didnt have the stove filled with wood waiting for it to burn out with no door glass in place. At this point i have been playing tug of war with englander to warranty the stove for about 6 weeks already. The Harman on the other hand never gave me a minutes trouble in 10 yrs. Burns super clean,was able to load a huge amount of wood in it as the front andirons kept it away from the door glass and the top loading door allows me to pack it tight. The 50 i still have high hopes for if englander can work out the bugs in the design and send me a new stove, but as of now they dont even answer my emails anymore after promising to replace the stove 2 weeks ago.
I had the harman plenty figured out.
Get up at 4 am. Load it. Get the temps up.
Throw the damper. Have it stall. Open damper get fire roaring. Close it. Repeat several times until "afterburner" finally kicked in. Then stall...open and repeat. All the while build creosote. Until of course all that creosote finally caught on fire 1 day last March. I cleaned the stack 7 days before chimney fire.
Yeah you clearly never got the hang of it. I have a friend who has his working great and it is a beast of a heater with long burntimes.
So what is the "hang of it"?
Id get my pipe up to 600 per manufacturer and dealer recommendations. Dealer told me that he now burns pellets. Now lives in Florida. Lol
Throw lever. Your friend explain how "great it's working" in terms? Or just "great"?
I service his stove and chimney every year and spend lots of time over there. It cranks out great heat for a long time and burns pretty clean.
Getting the hang of it means knowing how to run it without stalling it all the time. Like I said it is not an easy stove to learn and it is very finicky. They are also expensive to maintain I don't blame you for changing just saying they can work really well
ColdNorCal
Feeling the Heat
Interesting you mention Lopi. A Lopi vid was posted recently showing Lopi stoves being built at the factory. To my surprise, they also use 3/16" steel for the primary portion of the stove body.
Must be the wood or something. ALso could be the draft ,i know my harman likes a strong draft. My TL-300 produces very little creosote ,after 10 yrs iv never had a chimney fire or even a buildup of creosote. I also get twice the burn time from the Harman as any of my burn tube stoves like the englander stoves and i can heat 3000sf on 3 floors with the harman ,at least twice what i could do with my NC-30 with about the same size firebox. I do like the SHSS 50 if they ever fix the quality and design issues.
I have to measure the steel in the SHSS-50 but its thin where the door seats. Perhaps the main reason why its warped top and bottom. If i were trying to fix this, id be beefing up that steel first. EDIT: The steel looks like its a bit thicker than 1/8th nto much but a bit.
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